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Endocrine Abstracts (2017) 50 P292 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.50.P292

1Department of Endocrinology, Leeds Centre for Diabetes & Endocrinology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK; 2Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Research, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM), University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; 3Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds and NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds, UK.


Introduction: Patients with acromegaly are often left with long-term sequelae, among which arthropathy is the most common. Studies have shown impaired quality of life (QoL) in patients with acromegaly, even after long-term remission. Arthropathy is a negative predictive factor of QoL, due to its impact on physical symptoms and functioning.

Patients/Methods: To characterise further the extent of the acromegalic arthopathy, we conducted an observation study on 62 patients with acromegaly. Participants were interviewed individually for the presence, distribution and severity of joint-related symptoms. Additionally, participants’ medical records were reviewed and acromegaly-related data were collected.

Results: 29 male and 33 female patients with acromegaly (mean age 55±13 yrs) were recruited. 83.8% had pituitary surgery, 41.9% had radiotherapy and 85.5% received medical treatment. Mean duration of active disease and disease remission were 14.3±10.0 yrs and 5.5±7.6 yrs respectively. Based on biochemical criteria, 46.8% of patients had active acromegaly during the study, whereas 53.2% were in remission, which was achieved with or without long-term medical treatment.

88.7% of patients reported arthralgia (mean severity score 3.8±2.8 on a 0–10 scale). The most commonly affected joint site was the knee (71%), followed by the small joints of the wrist/hand (51.6%) and the lower spine (45.2%). 79% of patients reported pain in >1 sites. Joint symptoms were bilateral in 83.8% of cases. 56.5% of patients required analgesia for arthralgia; 51.4% of them on a regular basis. 24.2% of patients had previously undergone joint surgery due to arthropathy (mean age of 51.2±13.1 yrs). In 60% of those cases, patients required surgery in >1 joints.

Conclusions: Acromegalic arthropathy is a symmetrical polyarthropathy, affecting both the axial and appendicular skeleton and remains a major cause of morbidity in acromegaly. It may progress to a debilitating pathology, with patients requiring joint replacement at a relatively young age. Joint-related symptoms should be assessed regularly during clinic appointments. Future research should focus on developing strategies for prevention of the acromegalic arthropathy.

Volume 50

Society for Endocrinology BES 2017

Harrogate, UK
06 Nov 2017 - 08 Nov 2017

Society for Endocrinology 

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